Sharks reproduce relatively slowly, like people and other large species. With shark populations in decline due to overfishing and loss of prey species, it's more important than ever for us to understand the reproductive biology and behavior of these menacing ocean goers. While Hollywood makes them out to be killers, the truth is that they're not that interested in eating us - we're a bit bony for their taste, without all the deliciousness of a fatty fish or seal. Most shark attacks are considered 'accidents', where the shark mistakes a human for a more popular prey item, or 'provoked', like when people feel an unavoidable urge to touch sleeping sharks - and even still they're incredibly rare. You're more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a shark. And studies have shown that a lack of these top predators has detrimental effects on commercially and ecologically important species.

Other Fun Reads

Brighter Planet

Help Stop World Hunger

Why Do I Blog?

I started this blog mostly because of my friend Allie. She's on her way to a masters in Journalism, and she got assigned to write a blog for one of her classes. When she told me about it, I thought"wow, good idea."

You see, I love to write, but as a scientist very little of my day-to-day writing is interesting or legible to anyone who isn't a scientist. So this lets me write in a way that is actually fun to read - I know, novel.

Anyhow, if you want to why it's called "Observations of a Nerd," read this.